The U.S. Department of Education is looking for public feedback on how to improve the instruction manual the federal government uses to ensure groups responsible for assessing the quality of higher education institutions are reliable and effective.
The department recently issued a Request for Information on how to update the Accreditation Handbook to increase transparency and efficiency while ensuring accreditors avoid discrimination and adhere to federal law. Changes to the handbook will complement a forthcoming negotiated rulemaking on accreditation expected in 2026, the department said.
Stakeholders have until Jan. 26, 2026, to submit comments.
Questions for commenters include:
- What policies or standards are encouraging innovation or reducing college costs within the postsecondary education sector and should be retained in or added to the new version of the Handbook? How can the Handbook be designed to be less burdensome?
- Is the Handbook serving its intended purpose? How can it better assist accrediting agencies and associations in evaluating the quality of educational institutions and programs or in applying for Federal recognition?
- How could accreditation standards be updated to incentivize intellectual diversity on campus? What guidance or standards, if any, can the Handbook provide to institutions and programs to help achieve this goal?
- What methods should be incorporated into the Handbook to determine appropriate assessment benchmarks, and what data sources or validation methods could be used to ensure those benchmarks reflect student competency?
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